Is there any such thing? Let's investigate—for good or ill. A blog about fiction and literature, philosophy and theology, politics and law, science and culture, the environment and economics, and ethics and language, and any thing else that strikes our fancy. (Apologies to Bertrand Russell)

07 June 2014

On our hikes and travels around the Big Island of Hawai'i (also named Hawai'i), we had some interesting fauna spottings and encounters—some of which we managed to capture on "film", that is to say "pixels". [I don't yet have access to the underwater shots and footage which include Tiger Shark [OMFG!], White Tip Shark, Manta Ray [YESSSS!!!], Giant Turtle, and Eagle Ray.]

[As often, click pic to embiggen slide show, mouse over pix for 'secret' message, and (h/t thunder!) right click pic to open in new window.]

While on the abortive 1400' waterfall bushwhack [see previous post], this little guy came at me out of the brush and nuzzled the back of my calf and then hiked with us for about a mile [after Wisdomie gave him a cookie]. I was startled and made a noise when he first hit the back of my leg, thinking it was a wild boar and I'd been tusked. Turns out not so much.

06 June 2014

I've proclaimed my agnosticism on this blog on many occasions. My position stems from the simple (though hardly simplistic) logical proposition that 'belief that x' is no different than 'belief that not-x'. That is to say, both theism and atheism are unsupported beliefs. Both rely on a leap of faith.

That being said, I learned recently of the death (4/26/2014) of one of my most respected and influential divinity school professors: Glen Stassen. Dr. Stassen was the son of Presidential candidate Harold Stassen. He was a professor of Christian Ethics and a grassroots antiwar activist. I took a couple of classes with him back in the '80s. His chief focus was on what he called 'Peacemaking'.

"Dr. Stassen championed a pragmatic approach to social justice and world peace. In a series of books beginning in 1992, he outlined a program of grass-roots activism to reduce military spending, improve the lives of the disadvantaged and give citizens a voice in international conflict resolution. ... He went on to help mobilize the international disarmament movement that, by some accounts, played a role in removing intermediate range nuclear missiles from Western Europe in the late 1980s and early ’90s."

Peace is not simply the absence of war, and pacifism is not simply a passive resistance to warfare. It takes the hard, transformative work of understanding, rapprochement, seeking common ground, forging community, instituting social justice, compromise, reconciliation, etc. Just Peacemaking, he taught, is precisely the inculcation of truly Christian values. And this lesson applies not just to conflict between nations, but all the way down to the interpersonal, familial, and communal levels. It is a way of approaching life.

If I were to consider myself Christian in any sense, it would be in the sense of the pragmatic ethos of love and justice taught and practiced by Dr. Stassen over his lifetime.

05 June 2014

The best traveling can bring surprises and adventures. Some good. Some not so much (see last year's Diver Down series). We've just returned from our annual trip to visit Wisdomie who's completing his education at University of Hawai'i at Manoa in oceanographic sciences. Hawai'i, off the beaten track, is a land of surprises and adventure.

When you venture from the hotels and resorts and commercial areas, which of course have their appeal, you can stumble upon places that overwhelm you with their beauty. Waipi'o Valley on the big island of Hawai'i was one of the places we found this year.

As Wikipedia notes, it is not easy of access: "The road gains 800 vertical feet (243.84 m) in 0.6 miles (0.9 km) at a 25% average grade, with steeper grades in sections. This is a paved public road but it is open only to 4 wheel drive vehicles. It is the steepest road of its length in the United States and possibly the world." Try hiking down then back up that in unbroken 85º afternoon tropical sunshine! [For the record, on the way up I kept up with some other UH students we met, one a former military guy. He was impressed by the old guy. For my part, the way down toasted my thighs; the way up killed my calves and cardio-vascular system!]

But, man! was it worth it. One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, maybe one of the most beautiful places on earth. Pristine green riverine valley surrounded by precipitous cliffs, waterfalls, deserted black sand beach, blue ocean!